Justice
Sorted by date Results 1 - 42 of 42
Building trust in law enforcement a key goal, Lovick says
Sen. John Lovick describes himself as a Black man with brown skin who wore a blue uniform for a combined 37 years as a former state trooper and Snohomish County Sheriff. "Not... — Updated 4/9/2024
Officers soon will be allowed to work part time
Washington remains 51st in the nation for police officers per capita, and one answer to that problem might be allowing officers to work part-time. SB 5424, sponsored by Sen. John... — Updated 4/9/2024
Property crimes can now be hate crimes
Some property crimes now can be classed as hate crimes if they are racially motivated or if they target other marginalized communities. Sen. Andy Billig, D-Spokane, said he was motivated to press for changes in what can be classed... — Updated 3/18/2024
Same-day report required for stolen guns
When a student at Seattle's Ingraham High School was shot and killed two years ago, an investigation revealed the gun used in the crime was stolen. Now, advocates from that... — Updated 3/6/2024
Police given more leeway to pursue suspects
New rules that give police more leeway to engage in high-speed pursuits were approved by the Legislature and will become law June 5, 2024. “As you know, the people of the state are suffering, increasing rates of crime, property, c... — Updated 3/6/2024
New bill advances equal professional opportunities for immigrants
Undocumented individuals are now a small step away from pursuing careers in nursing, dentistry, architecture, psychology, and much more under a bill now waiting for the governor's s... — Updated 3/4/2024
Clergy members could become mandatory reporters of child abuse
When Sen. Noel Frame, D-Seattle, learned how Jehovah’s Witness elders in Spokane had covered up child sexual abuse for years, she looked to the law for answers. Frame found that, un... — Updated 2/21/2024
Legislature to decide on high-speed pursuits
A citizen initiative aimed at giving police wider discretion on when they engage in high-speed pursuits was forwarded to the Legislature on Jan. 11. Secretary of State Steve Hobbs... — Updated 2/12/2024
Public safety must be a priority, legislators say
Public safety should be a top priority for this year's legislative session, Gov. Jay Inslee and bipartisan state legislators said on the eve of the 2024 legislative session. "We... — Updated 2/12/2024
Condom use requires partner consent, proposal says
Testifying before lawmakers, Mina Hashemi recounted how three years ago she was shocked to see that the condom she had explicitly asked for during sex had been removed. "I felt deeply violated," Hashemi said. "While I was lucky... — Updated 2/12/2024
Hogtying ban unanimously passes Senate
Nearly four years after Manuel Ellis, a 33-year-old Black man from Tacoma, died during arrest while being hogtied, the practice that killed him is one step closer to being illegal i... — Updated 2/7/2024
Legislature debates reducing legal limit for blood alcohol level
To curb traffic fatalities, lawmakers are proposing reducing the legal limit for driving while intoxicated. SB 5002 amends the legal blood alcohol concentration (BAC) for driving a... — Updated 2/7/2024
Jaywalking laws too severe, critics say
Taking cues from California, there's a push to lighten up on jaywalking fines-a move that hits the headlines for its impact on both the homeless community and Black pedestrians. In... — Updated 1/30/2024
Proposal allows deadly force cases to be handled by Attorney General's office
Following the concerns over police brutality in 2020, Gov. Jay Inslee directed the Attorney General’s office to form an Office of Independent Investigations to take on cases of death by law enforcement officers. Now Rep. Monica S... — Updated 1/24/2024
Survivors speak out against child marriage
Twenty women sporting wedding gowns and lustrous veils, with chains around their wrists and tape over their mouths, gathered in protest of Washington State law that allows children... — Updated 1/22/2024
Trump to stay on primary ballot
By Mary Murphy and Aspen Anderson Washington State Journal It was still dark outside when people with MAGA hats and anti-Trump signs gathered outside the entrance of the Thurston... — Updated 1/22/2024
Victims push for legislation against police deception in interrogations
Amanda Knox, the Seattle resident who spent nearly four years in an Italian prison for a murder she did not commit, offered heartfelt testimony Jan. 8 in favor of a bill that would... — Updated 1/11/2024
WSU, OSU granted restraining order against PAC-12
COLFAX - Washington State University (WSU) President Kirk Schulz, also current chairman of the PAC-12 board, and WSU athletic director Pat Chun were in Colfax Monday, Sept. 11, to... — Updated 9/14/2023
Pacific County joins lawsuit vs. DSHS
SOUTH BEND - Pacific County is a co-plaintiff in a lawsuit against the Washington State Department of Social and Health Services (DSHS) filed on Aug. 23 by 22 counties in Pierce... — Updated 9/7/2023
Sheriff's office seeking information regarding recent dog killings
Pasado’s Safe Haven, an animal sanctuary and rescue organization in the Pacific Northwest, is partnering with People for Animal Care and Kindness and Team Okanogan Animal Rescue to increase the reward for information leading to t... — Updated 6/1/2023
State insurance commissioner highlights new rules under state pet insurance law
After Gov. Jay Inslee signed a new bill related to pet insurance into law in April, Washington residents can expect more protection and less confusion, according to a news release... — Updated 5/26/2023
Police pursuit law rules modified
Police may pursue suspects that pose long-term serious risk to others under revisions of a more restrictive 2022 vehicle chase law that has now passed both houses of this year’s Legislature. Engrossed Senate Bill 5352 was i... — Updated 4/17/2023
Task force on missing indigenous women proposed to continue
A state task force on missing indigenous women, created in 2021, will be extended at least two more years if a Senate-passed bill is approved by the House and governor. The bill, Senate Bill 5477, sponsored by Sen. Nikki Torres,... — Updated 3/10/2023
Assault rifles to be banned immediately if bill passed through the House becomes law
The manufacture, distribution and sale of any assault weapon would be prohibited by legislation passed by the state House of Representatives and now in the Senate. “There has been a dramatic shift in the public, I think t... — Updated 3/10/2023
Senate approves safety measures for road workers
Installing automated vehicle speed cameras and other measures to improve highway safety were approved in separate bills by the state Senate Feb.23. “Speed kills. Our work zones have lower posted speeds for very good reasons. This h... — Updated 3/8/2023
Domestic violence bills improve victim safety
Victims of domestic violence will get more protection under a package of bills now moving through the state Legislature. Rep. Lauren Davis, D-Shoreline, is sponsoring House Bill 1715. The bill challenges the idea that domestic viol... — Updated 3/8/2023
Legislature moving on tighter drunk driving laws
Ashley Bonus said she began her fight against impaired driving after her sister, Stacy Gammons-Ankerfelt, died in an accident in 2012. Now, she wants a new law that lowers the blood alcohol level needed to sustain an impaired drivi... — Updated 3/8/2023
Stalking would be the same crime, online or in person
Stalking is stalking, whether it is in person or online, and they will be treated as identical crimes if a bill presented in the Legislature is adopted. Under current law, a person commits the crime of stalking if they repeatedly... — Updated 3/8/2023
Police dogs to be trained to find fentanyl
The war against the use of illegal fentanyl will get some extra help in the future from drug sniffing dogs trained to detect the substance. That’s the intent of House Bill 1635, introduced by Rep. Gina Mosbrucker, R-Goldendale. T... — Updated 3/8/2023
Crime victims get added confidentiality
Victims and witnesses who track perpetrators in prison to know when they are released will be able to keep their identities private, if a bill that passed the Senate with broad bipartisan support becomes law. “This bill creates a... — Updated 3/8/2023
Effort to make roads safer wins bipartisan support
Lawmakers from both sides of the aisle and Gov. Jay Inslee say they are backing a package of new laws aimed at protecting workers, pedestrians and commuters. New bills would... — Updated 3/8/2023
Proposed law shields businesses from out-of-state abortion claims
Washington State employers will receive tools against retaliation from states with anti-abortion laws if a bill presented in the Senate is passed. Senate Bill 5260, by Sen. Karen Keiser, D-Des Moines, is one of five reproductive... — Updated 3/8/2023
Constitutional amendment to protect abortion rights stirs support, protest
Mary Le Nguyen stood in front of a group of 70 abortion-rights activists on the Capitol steps for a "reproductive freedom rally" in early January and she shared her personal story... — Updated 3/8/2023
Bill proposes sealing name changes for abuse victims
People who change their names to hide from their abusers should be afforded more privacy. That, at least, is the conclusion Maia Xiao came to after a transgender friend committed suicide after being harassed online despite a name... — Updated 3/8/2023
Dogs bring comfort to victims, witnesses
Four dogs sat in a House hearing room and two more watched the room over Zoom as a legislative committee discussed rules dog handlers must follow in courthouses for dogs to assist... — Updated 3/8/2023
Records requests put a strain on Woodland staff
A rash of recent public records requests has led to some tough conversations on how the city of Woodland will handle what some councilors have denounced as nothing more than a taxpayer burden. During its Sept. 6 meeting, the... — Updated 9/15/2022
Attorney General files civil rights lawsuit against Ostrom Mushroom Farms
Attorney General Bob Ferguson has filed a civil rights lawsuit against Ostrom Mushroom Farms in Sunnyside on Wednesday, August 17. Ferguson's lawsuit, filed at the Yakima County... — Updated 8/18/2022
Lawsuit filed against Clark County auditor over primary ballot inclusions
A candidate for Clark County auditor has filed a lawsuit against current Auditor Greg Kimsey over the inclusion of nonpartisan races with two or fewer candidates on the August... — Updated 7/28/2022
U.S. Border Patrol agents off the hook after court ruling
The U.S. Supreme Court's 6-3 decision to reject Smuggler's Inn owner Bob Boule's lawsuit against a U.S. Border Patrol agent further protects federal law enforcement officials from... — Updated 6/16/2022
U.S. Supreme Court rejects Bob Boule's suit against U.S. Border Patrol agent
The U.S. Supreme Court reversed the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals decision to uphold Smuggler's Inn owner Bob Boule's Fourth Amendment excessive-force claim and First Amendment... — Updated 6/9/2022
New Statewide Alert System for Missing Indigenous People Is a Welcomed Change for Nisqually Tribe
In March, Washington Gov. Jay Inslee signed a bill into law that would create a statewide alert system for missing Indigenous people. It was the first of its kind to be put in... — Updated 4/28/2022
School district working to settle public records lawsuit
The Grand Coulee Dam School District will offer $16,000 to a man who filed a lawsuit against them regarding a public records request, and who has reportedly made around a million dollars over the years with similar lawsuits... — Updated 4/28/2022